Cass R. Sunstein, Columnist

Why Free Marketeers Don't Buy Climate Science

Some people reject climate science because they are so opposed to the carbon regulations proposed as the antidote to climate change.

Are you sure that chart isn't upside down?

Photographer: Miguel Villagran/Getty Images
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It is often said that people who don't want to solve the problem of climate change reject the underlying science, and hence don't think there's any problem to solve. But consider a different possibility: Because they reject the proposed solution, they dismiss the science. If this is right, our whole picture of the politics of climate change is off.

Here’s an analogy. Say your doctor tells you that you must undergo a year of grueling treatment for a serious illness. You might question the diagnosis and insist on getting a second opinion. But if the doctor says you can cure the same problem simply by taking a pill, you might just take the pill without asking further questions.